Dangerous Drug Lords: Griselda Blanco

A dangerous drug dealer who ran her operation in major American cities like New York and Miami, Griselda Blanco dodged the law for a long, long time. Her business acumen and ability to set up shrewd deals sent a chill down the spines of some the most ruthless underworld operators in her day.

The Early Days

Griselda Blanco was born in the coastal town of Cartagena, Columbia on February 15, 1943. She hailed from a low class family that soon moved to the slums of Medellin.

It was here that young Griselda had her first brush with crime. At the tender age of 11 years, she's said to have kidnapped a child from an affluent neighborhood and held it for ransom. She supposedly killed the child upon not receiving the amount she demanded!

Later, she even resorted to thieving to sustain herself, and eventually turned to prostitution after leaving the house of her abusive mother.

Rise To The Top

While working the streets of Medellin, Griselda got into the drug trade. She started working with the infamous Medellin cocaine cartel.

Griselda then managed to emigrate to the United States to set up a lucrative cocaine business with her then-husband Alberto Bravo. In 1975, she was indicted, but managed to escape to Columbia before the authorities could arrest her.

After laying low in Columbia for a few years, Blanco resurfaced in Miami, Florida. She was one of the key players in replacing marijuana with cocaine as the number one drug in Miami. She was also responsible for several drug wars at a time when the streets of Miami resembled a war zone.

The police suspect her as the key conspirator in over 200 murders. She was known to be an extremely violent person, who'd use fire power against absolutely anyone who stood in her way!

Arrest and Legacy

After playing a cat and mouse game with rival drug dealers, Blanco was finally arrested by the authorities in 1985. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison for her role in the Miami cocaine dealings of the Medellin cartel. However, she continued with her cocaine trade from jail as well!

Blanco was lucky enough not to be charged with three counts of murder as the case against her was not sound. Finally, in 2004, she was deported to Columbia after serving 19 years in prison. After that, she's managed to disappear into obscurity, but something tells us she might still be active in the cocaine game.